Hello all! I began my first ferment with a squash I've had in my home for about a month now - Acorn Squash. I was difficult to peel, but I imagine my hard work will pay off! It's only one day old and it's a bubblin'.
I like a lots of texture with my food, so I diced, shredded, processed, sliced, and even chopped different pieces into one jar.
I also used 1 tbsp of allspice, 1/2 tsp of paprika and 1-1/2 tsp of roasted diced garlic for a fall-aimed flavor. I have no idea what this will taste like, but I'm being adventurous for the 1st ferment because I really couldn't find a good recipe online.
SO... I used the Easy Fermenter. It is the top selling fermentation lid out there on Amazon, and it has pretty good reviews! When it arrived, I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed for the $30 - it came with a pump and 3 plastic lids. It felt overpriced. Having done my first ferment, I feel that I already have some ideas on how I could improve it (please go to Amazon and look up the Easy Fermenter Lids if you want to see what I'm talking about. Link is below.)
http://a.co/fWfquiV
My briefly thought through improvement ideas:
1.) I would like to take away the plastic outer ring. I don't ever have issues removing the lids from jars, and it seems like it makes the lids more expensive without any justification.
2.) I would also look into making the lid clear, so that you can see if there is anything exposed to the air, and also if any mold starts to form.
3.) I would remove the date ring, because again it adds much cost without the justifications. In its place, I would sell the lids with something like 200+ sticker labels, so that people could write their recipe ingredients, fermentation date, expiration date etc. and attach them to the jars. (I imagine that this would be nice since I don't plan on eating my fermented squash right away, and also I would love to gift this out during christmas!)
4.)There is a rubber gasket that flops around loosely when handling and cleaning the lid. I would have this fused to the lid so that its all one piece, also preventing people from losing their gaskets!
5.)Lastly, I was thinking about bundling these lids with 1 strainer lid, a nice wooden masher and a mandoline slicer, since these 3 items seem like they would be essential to making a good kit that gets people started.
I would price the kit for around $40 if I included all of the above items plus 3 lids and a pump. I would aso sell separately just 3 lids with the labelling stickers for $18.
Here's where I need your help:
What equipment do you guys use for your ferments?
What do you think about the easy fermenter, and what could I do to improve this product in your opinion?
Do you guys have any ideas of things that could be bundled with these lids?
Thanks ahead for all the support!
Hopefully this turns out to be a fun thread!
-Nick